dec2015

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By Perla Lichi, ASID
Peacocks are large
pheasants known for
their iridescent tails,
typically blue and green.
When these tail feathers
spread out, the colorful
“eye” markings exhibit
multiple shades of blue,
gold, red, and other
hues. The male peacock
choice—either as the main
selection or as an accent
color. It works well with
many other colors. Given
its long history of use in
jewelry, turquoise also
coordinates well when
combined with metallic
finishes. The color can
effectively be enjoyed as a
Proud as a Peacock
Creating Beautiful Interiors in Greens and Blues
inserting peacock colors.
Mosaic tile designs
embody the beauty of a
Mediterranean interior.
Selecting a wall or floor
tile or decorative border
with the jewel or peacock
tones that you like is
another sound method
for combining colors with
BATH SURROUND
This bright bath surround adds a cheerful
accent against the gold background
in this master bath.
expanding its tail has
long symbolized vanity
and pride, hence the
familiar saying “proud as
a peacock.”
And that’s just how you
will feel if you successfully
incorporate today’s popular
peacock colors into
your home décor. This is
possible whether you have
a formal ambience or a
casual contemporary look
in your home. Here are a
few tips that should help.
Turquoise has been prized
and cherished in many
different areas of the
world for thousands of
years. It was mined and
used by the Egyptians—in
fact the iconic gold burial
mask of Tutankhamun
was inlaid with this
attractive blue-to-green
stone. The Aztecs inlaid
turquoise together with
gold, quartz, malachite,
jet, jade, coral, and shells
to create provocative
mosaic objects.
The color turquoise (often
called teal or, in softer
tones, aquamarine) is a
pleasing and effective
interior design color
rich, vibrant jewel tone or
softened to a pale pastel
with many shades in
between.
When designing interiors
with any of the jewel tones
of green, blue, or red, it is
essential to go all the way.
By this, I mean, that the
richness of 100 percent
ruby red or emerald
green or turquoise will
make other colors pale
in comparison. Rooms
designed around bold
jewel tones need other
jewel tones to accompany
them, plus lots of gold or
silver for balance.
An accent wall is an
ideal way to introduce
rich color without going
overboard. Another
technique that I often use
is to introduce a mix of
rich colors in area rugs
and then select a few
accessories in the same
tones. If you like the
effect, you can eventually
go bolder with a bright
feature wall in one of the
accent colors.
Homes designed in the
Mediterranean style are
also a typical choice for
confidence and selecting
just the right hues for
your personal living
environment.
Creating a white
background with white
furniture offers a perfect
opportunity to safely
experiment with bright
color accents. The good
news about this concept is
that you can change your
accent colors every season
without breaking the
budget. If white is too stark
for your taste, the same
thing can be accomplished
with a light neutral
background in almost any
tone you select.
The examples shown are
representative of the use
of these bright, cheerful
colors and how well they
work within the overall
interior environment. P
Interior Designer Perla
Lichi, ASID, owns and
operates a successful
interior design company
with offices in Coral
Springs, Dubai, and India.
She is a Florida State
licensed interior designer:
FL ID#00001727 and FL
IB#26001492.
ALL WHITE BACKGROUND
A white or neutral background allows
you to change the accent colors every
season without breaking the bank.
ACCENT WALL
A blue accent wall contrasts and complements
the green upholstered cornice
board and bright blue accents. This all
works well over a neutral background.
CHILD OR GUEST ROOM
The green accent wall is the perfect
counterpoint to the peacock blue and green
accents in this cheerful bedroom.
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DECEMBER 2015